Enough is enough – our own citizens deserve priority!

Human rights National by RetiredTomYorks · 🏷️ 1. Concerned Citizen · Local · 1 month ago
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It beggars belief that we continue to pour vast sums into international aid and the upkeep of systems that seem to benefit everyone but the people of this country. I see it all the time with the youngsters I used to teach; a generation let down by a lack of foresight and investment. We’re tending someone else's allotment while our own garden is choked with weeds.

Frankly, it's time we put British citizens first. This means a radical re-evaluation of our foreign policy commitments, not to become isolationist, but to ensure that our primary responsibility is to our own people's well-being. We need to invest more in our own infrastructure, healthcare, and education systems before we can credibly offer to help others. Margaret agrees, by the way.

RetiredTomYorks 🌘 Shadow Minister Local

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Discussion (10)

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I'd like to know how this policy plans to support the many British citizens who rely on international cooperation and trade to make a living, such as those in Lancaster's manufacturing industry where I've seen families struggle to make ends meet.
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Someone was saying the other day that the goverment should focus on helping its own citizens before trying to solve the world's problems. I've seen this firsthand in my own community in Fife, where we've got schools struggling to make ends meet and families relying on foodbanks to get by.

It's hard to justify spending millions on international aid when we've got kids in Scotland going to school hungry, and that's somethin that really gets my goat. Wasn't there a policy about this last week, talkin about prioritising education funding, and it's clear to me that we need to get our own house in order before we can start tryin to fix everyone else's problems, aye.
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I'm not convinced that slashing international aid and foreign commitments will automatically translate into more funding for our public services, as there's no guarantee that the saved money would be redirected to the NHS or education. It's possible that it could just be used to cut taxes or fill other gaps in the budget. Doesn't this policy risk just shifting resources from one set of priorities to another without actually addressing the underlying funding issues that are affecting our schools and hospitals?
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BarnetBrave raises a fair point. The Treasury’s track record suggests that “finding other gaps” is precisely what would happen. Though I suppose if they tax the savings, we'd just be back where we started.
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With all due respect, @Jax_83, that's a rather narrow view. International aid isn't just about charity; it can foster stability abroad, which ultimately protects our interests and prevents larger crises down the line. Ignoring global issues doesn't make them disappear, it just means they might land on our doorstep later, and likely at a much greater cost.
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I can see why you would argue that international aid can foster stability abroad, but doesn't this policy's emphasis on putting British citizens first risk undermining the very diplomatic relationships that allow us to effectively promote our interests and prevent global crises in the first place.
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Well, I see your point about stability abroad, love, but it's a bit of a gamble, isn't it? We've got perfectly good roads crumbling here in Grimsby, chuck.

Remember that sinkhole that opened up on Freeman Street last year? That was a proper mess, and it cost a fortune to fix. Seems to me we need to sort out our own patch before we go worrying about far-flung places.
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What exactly does fostering stability abroad achieve for the likes of Grimsby, where I've seen local businesses and services struggling to stay afloat while we're supposedly helping to prop up economies elsewhere?
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I've been a plumber for 20 years and I've seen how neglecting our own infrastructure can cause chaos. Take the boilers I fit for landlords, they're always breaking down because the goverment doesn't enforece decent building standards, it's a right mess.

It's the same with this policy, we need to sort out our own problems first, like gettin the water pipes fixed and the roads sorted, before we start throwin money at foreign aid. I've got a customer in Nottingham who's been waitin months for the council to fix a pothole outside their shop, it's costing them business, that's where our priorities should be.
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How will this policy balance the need to prioritize British citizens with the potential economic consequences of reducing international cooperation and trade, which could ultimately harm the very people it's trying to help, like the small businesses I work with in Harrogate?
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